Echo Cliff Park in Wabaunsee County, Kansas, courtesy of the Kansas Geological Survey.
Echo Cliff Park, about two and a half miles southwest of Dover, Kansas, is comprised of sandstone bluffs that wind along Mission Creek in eastern Wabaunsee County. Towering 75 feet above Mission Creek, Echo Cliff was formed from a series of events driven by the movement of seas and streams.
During the Pennsylvanian Subperiod, sediments deposited in a shallow sea were later compacted into sedimentary rocks, mainly marine limestone and shale. When the sea receded and the land was above sea level, streams cut channels through the marine rocks and then filled the channels with sandy deposits. The deposits were eventually compacted into freshwater sandstone known informally as the Indian Cave sandstone. A later stream cut down through that sandstone and other layers to create the cliff.
Mission Creek at Echo Cliff Park by Echo Cliff Park in Wabaunsee County, Kansas, courtesy of the Kansas Geological Survey.
Echo Cliff received its name in 1895, due to its 50-foot cliffs, at which time, the area was known as Gibbsville. However, archeological evidence shows that Woodland Indians lived or camped here over 800 to 1,000 years ago. More recently, it may have been the site of a Kanza Indian village encampment.
The park area was cleared in the 1920s and eventually deeded to the Dover Grange to be preserved for the public. The Echo Cliff Park Trust owns and privately maintains it.
The cliffs used to be even larger, but a partial collapse of the rock face in 1977 caused part of the bluffs to deteriorate.
The park’s entrance is marked with a unique metal sign, which provides easy access to the cliff and creek. The park has unusual folk art signs, picnic tables, and a shelter, all of which were built from scrap metal and concrete.
An old bridge that vehicles used to drive over has been preserved alongside the new bridge and is a great spot to fish. Nature trails in the area allow visitors to follow the creek and see the beautiful sandstone, and a large sculpture decorates the park’s entrance. A roughly 6-inch-tall waterfall made of rocks creates small rapids in the creek, filling the creek bed with the calming sounds of rushing water.
There is no camping at this park, as it closes at 10:00 p.m.
Echo Cliff Park is located at 24927 Echo Cliff Road, just south of the Native Stone Scenic Byway.
©Kathy Alexander/Legends of Kansas, June 2025.
Pony Truss Bridge at Echo Cliff Park, Kansas.
Also See:
Native Stone Scenic Byway
Wabaunsee County Photo Gallery
Sources:
Civil War Days
Echo Cliff Community
Kansas Geological Survey
Kansas Travel
Topeka Capitol-Journal